


A Matter of Time

by AsheliaB



Category: Stardew Valley (Video Game)
Genre: F/M, Feelings Realization, Fluff and Angst, Self-Doubt
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-03-28
Updated: 2019-03-28
Packaged: 2019-12-26 00:09:49
Rating: Mature
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,391
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/18271868
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/AsheliaB/pseuds/AsheliaB
Summary: Shane thinks about the farmer to pass the time at work. Rated M for copious amounts of swearing.*Note: this is a bit of a companion piece for the long fic I’m working on. I went to start the next chapter and this came out instead.





	A Matter of Time

**This is your daily reminder** **that I like you as a person** **and also find you extremely attractive.**

 

 **You really don't need to keep** **sending this to me every day**

 

 **You just sent me a bunch of** **random letters. Made no sense.**

 **Anyway, I picked up that** **new fighting game today.** **Wanna swing by after work** **and try it out with me?**

 

**Yeah**

 

“Watcha smiling at?” Sam grinned widely as he sat down at the breakroom table, directly across from Shane. He propped his feet up on the neighboring chair and cracked open a can of cola. It was half gone before he set it on the table.

“Nothing.” Shane quickly snapped his phone shut and glared at his coworker.

“Uh-huh,” the smile never left Sam's face. “Hey, that reminds me. I gotta thank Anna next time I see her. You've been so much more pleasant to deal with since you two started dating.”

“Fuck you.” He hastily stood up and put his Joja cap back on.

“See, this is what I'm saying, man, You've said three whole words to me and only one was a swear word!” Sam laughed as he watched Shane head back out into the stockroom. “You're getting soft, my dude!”

Shane frowned to himself as he grabbed one of the hand trucks brimming with product that needed to get out on the shelves. He was damn lucky Sam hadn't come in a few minutes earlier. Before he'd gotten that text from Anna, he'd been looking at a drawing Jas had given him the other week, ‘to help him be more happy at work.’

The drawing had several smiling stick figures, representing Jas, Marnie and Anna. Jas had even included his favorite chicken, Charlie, in the lineup. It was cheesy as hell and he loved that fucking drawing _so much_. He looked at it before heading into work in the morning and at each break. Sometimes he pulled it out when he was alone in the stockroom on a slow day. It was the last thing he looked at before going to bed every night. He looked at the damn thing so often that the creases where it was folded were already starting to wear thin.

His thoughts drifted to Anna as he pulled the hand truck into the appropriate aisle and settled in to stock the canned vegetables. She always seemed to invade his thoughts any time he had a quiet moment. It had only gotten worse since they'd kissed at the Tunneler's game a couple weeks ago. Now every time he closed his eyes he saw her soft smile, felt the lingering touch of her lips against his.

Anna. _His_ Anna. She was so fucking perfect. Funny. Kind. Patient. Smart. Fucking gorgeous.

And he had been such an ass to her when they'd first met. Knowing as much as he did now about her social anxiety, he always cringed when he thought about how he had initially acted towards her. It was how he acted to everyone but still. He hadn't known how special she was then. He was pretty sure he had told her to fuck off at least once.

_Yoba knows how many times you've probably made her cry you fucking jackass._

For whatever reason she hadn't given up on him and before he knew it he was looking for her every time the saloon door swung open, using whatever lame excuse he could come up with to visit her farm.

And she was always there for him, ready with whatever he needed, which usually amounted to hot pizza and a quiet place to hide. She never seemed to judge him no matter what fucked up shit came out of his mouth. She'd just listen, maybe offer a few words of encouragement or reassurance, but mostly she'd just listen.

In return he'd usually just fuck up again. Like the time she brought him to Harvey's after she'd found him drunk off his ass near the cliffs. He still didn't remember what had happened that night but he was sure he'd made an ass of himself several times over. Sometimes he thought about asking her for details but he always chickened out. Didn't want to remind her more than necessary what an idiot he was.

Or when they'd had a slumber party at her place with Jas. Jas had insisted on bringing her favorite game along to show Anna. He had no problem playing that stupid truth or dare game at home where no one could see, but in front of the woman he had very much developed feelings for by that point? There was also no way in hell he was going to disappoint his little girl if he could help it. Which was how he ended up sitting in Anna's living room with a face full of gaudy makeup and 100 rubber bands sticking his hair out every which way. And somehow that shitshow of an evening had been the precursor to the one and only morning where he'd woken up with Anna in his arms. The back ache that had resulted from falling asleep on the floor next to her had been completely worth it.

Then there was the Dance of the Moonlight Jellies. He was too embarrassed to even look at her when she'd first arrived at the ranch. Then he'd gotten himself stuck on the dock when Jas fell asleep on his lap. To top it all off, when he tried to give her a compliment at the end of the night it quickly devolved into _her_ reassuring _him_. Again.

That night was also the reason for her daily texts of affirmation, which truth be told, he desperately needed. Really he'd be okay if she sent those more than once a day but he'd never tell her. Then she'd realize just how truly pathetic he was.

Shane reached into the box to pull out the next can of creamed corn and hit the bottom of the box. Empty. Looking up he realized with surprise that he'd already unloaded the entire cart. He quickly flattened and stacked the empty boxes and began pulling the cart to the backroom. Along the way he passed Jodi; it sometimes seemed like she was here nearly as much as he was.

“Shane,” she called out as he passed her. “Could you help me find the produce section.”

He grunted affirmatively and led her through the store to where the produce was, where it had been since the day this damn store had been built.

“I need a head of cauliflower for tonight's dinner,” Jodi explained as they walked. “I sent a note to the farmer asking if she had a spare but I haven't heard anything back.”

_She has a goddamn name._

“A _nna_ doesn't grow vegetables on her farm,” he grabbed a cauliflower head of the shelf and unceremoniously dumped it into Jodi's hands. “Not the right season for it around here anyways.”

Shane quickly walked away before she could call him out for his rudeness. She could go bitch to Morris if she really wanted to. He didn't get paid enough for that shit.

His phone vibrated in his pocket while he was loading the cardboard into the compactor. It then vibrated several more times in quick succession. After taking a quick glance around to make sure he wasn't being watched, he ducked behind a huge floor stack of toilet paper and pulled out his phone.

 

**Can chickens eat hot peppers? Please say yes.**

**Because it's already happened.**

**On a related note I've accidentally discovered Maestro's favorite food apparently.**

**As long as it doesn't kill her.**

**Oh Yoba have I killed my chicken???**

 

**It's fine.**

**Makes their eggshells stronger.**

 

**Oh good. Thank you! :)**

**See you in a couple hours <3**

 

He was grinning like an idiot again and for the moment he didn't give a shit who saw. She was perfect and for reasons he'd never understand, she wanted to be with him.

Oh, it was only a matter of time before she decided she'd had enough of his bullshit. But until that day came he'd do everything he could to give her even a small fraction of the happiness and love she made him feel every day.

_Wait. Love? Where'd that come from?_

_Shit._

_Fuck._

_I'm in love with the farmer._


End file.
